Wine Christmas Gift

When I was home for Thanksgiving, my mom and I were talking about Christmas gifts. You see, I'm usually the middle man when it comes to relaying what the family wants for Christmas. Dad wants a TV? I tell mom. Brother wants a couch? I tell parents. Mom wants a canoe? I tell dad. You get the picture. This time, mom was telling me ideas for neighbor gifts and for Tyler. Below is the idea she gave me for neighbor gifts, and I just think it is so fun!

Given to me was a rag with a sugar cookie recipe on the front. Not knowing how to properly tie the rag around the bottle, I preceded to look up a "how to" on pinterest. Seconds later: bingo! I had a uniquely wrapped gift in 5 seconds.

If you're a last minute shopper, I couldn't think of a more perfect gift. Besides, what girl doesn't want a little bit of sugar and wine?!

5 Things I Love About October

Pumpkins. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g pumpkins. Pumpkin candles, pumpkin carving, pumpkin pie, pumpkin picking, pumpkin colored pants. It's just soooooo exciting.

Leaves. I love when the leaves change. It's not a drastic change here in Mississippi like it is in New England. I wish it was. It's a goal of mine to visit New England in the fall, since fall is my favorite time of the year.

Candy. My favorite food to ever be created. I will choose candy over any other food in the word. Plus, October is an excuse to eat all the candy you want and not be judged. My dream!

Crisp fall air. Slowly but surely, the air is starting to change here. You can feel it, and see it: the sky is transitioning from a boiling sun to a dim, mysterious sky. I love it.

Costumes. I love the fact that Halloween gives you the chance to be anybody you want to be for a night. Unfortunately, our wedding is 4 days from Halloween, and we won't be celebrating it this year (I think we will be POOPED.) But next year, I'm totally throwing a Halloween party. Are you planning to dress up this year?

Oh, and the fact that my wedding is 24 days away! What do you love about October?

Christmas Party

Do you remember the Christmas party I told y'all about? The one where my family was going to meet Tyler's family? It was last Saturday, and we had the best time. Tyler's parents were awesome hosts and made yummy appetizers like coffee punch, tiger butter and oreo truffles. It was such an awesome night, and it's really cool to see two families that never knew each other become one, all because Tyler and I met. 

The night started off at my favorite restaurant, Sombra Kitchen, with my family and grandparents (and Tyler, of course). 

We then wobbled our way to Tyler's house where his grandparents were waiting for us.

My moms parents

The best white wine sangria

Tyler's house

My dad meeting Tyler's dad's mother

COFFEE PUNCH! 

My brother (on the right) Tyler on the left

My dad's parents

Tyler and his brother (on the right)

The three most important women in my life

Have you been to any Christmas parties lately? How did your in-laws meet your parents?

Christmas Parade+The Nutcracker

I can't tell you how many times i've seen the Madison Christmas parade. I've been going with my family since I was little. We would wake up early in the morning, pack the trunk with blankets, throw our dogs in the car and bring a few snacks for the day. This year was extremely special for me - it was Tyler's first time to see the parade, so I was excited to show him how the whole town shuts down and comes together for a tiny, but family like, Christmas celebration. You gotta love a small town :)

Coffee for the parade. My favvvvorite - Captiol Street Caramel at Cups! (Say that 5x fast!)

The town Christmas tree 

Mini villages

He loves cannolis

Un-packaging cookies we bought from Fresh Market 

He loves gingerbread men, too!

The Nutcracker

Tyler's favorite classic car. He wants one!

Oh, ya know, just your local grocery store in the parade!

The parade never fails to end with Mr. and Mrs. Claus!

We then came back for some coffee and waited until it was time to see The Nutcracker at Thalia Mara Hall.

Thalia Mara Hall 

Hope you're enjoying the holiday season. Now if only it would snow...I think that would be the cherry on top!

What are your Christmas plans? Does your town have a parade? The Nutcracker?